Apparatus for cleaning coal of foreign matter



March 30, 1937. L. SVEINSSON APPARATUS FOR CLEANING COAL OF FOREIGNMATTER Filed April 16, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet l uh R [Jam's 6vein5son,

W QR Ex A1 (Tierney March 30, 1937. L. SVEINSSON APPARATUS FOR CLEANINGCOAL OF FOREIGN MATTER I Filed April 16, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 mQvInvenior Lam's Jvez'nsson,

fiiorney I March 30, 1937. sv sso 2,075,593

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING COAL OF FOREIGN MATTER Filed April 16, 1954 4SheetsSheet 5 I '1 U 3.1!! Li P Lama's dvein'rsson,

' A fiifor'ney March 30, 1937. SVEINSSON APPARATUS FOR CLEANING COAL OFFOREIGN MATTER 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 16, 1934 16' 5 i if SI 2 I bInvent 5,0)" 19 loads 'JYeinsson,

fliiorney Patented Mar. 30,1937 2,075,593

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR CLEANING COAL OF FOREIGNMATTER- 7 Louis Sveinsson, Shamokin, Pa.

Application April 16, 1934, Serial No. 720,862

Claims. (01. 209173) This invention relates to an apparatus for afilling chute I6 is arranged, as clearly shown in the separation offoreign matter from coal such Figures 1 and 2. This chute I6 extendsdownas clum, bank coal and river coal. wardly into the tank forapproximately one-half It is a special object of the invention to proofits depth and is joined adjacent the base 5 videan apparatus of simpleconstruction and in thereof by a diagonally disposed chute H, the

which water is caused to circulate in a spiral open upper end l1 beingpositioned a short discourse through the aggregate being cleaned intance below the top of the tank. The juncture such manner that a buoyanteffect is produced, of the chute l6 and I1 defines a well [8. therebyfacilitating the efficient separation of coal From the description thusfar set forth, it will 10 from undesired dbris. be apparent that thecoal to be cleaned is led 10 It is a particular object of the inventionto prointo the apparatus through the chute l6, settling vide a novelmeans for effecting simultaneously in the well I8 by action of gravity,and it is at a reverse whirl fiow of water through the coal this pointthat the most effective cleaning operbeing cleaned, thereby insuringthorough separaation occurs, as will now be explained. tion of thematerial under treatment. Communicating with the well I8 there is a 15It is also an object of the invention to provide tunnel l9, disposed atright angles thereto, the a structure wherein a combined water and airport forming communication with the well being current through theaggregate bulk under treatsuitably screened at at 20. The tunnel [9 hasment may be carried out, whereby floating parrevolubly housed therein apropeller 2|, the ticles may be positively separated from the bulk.blades of which are adjustable to vary the push 20 It is also an objectof the invention to provide or pull of water through the coal beingcleaned anovel means of combining air and water whereand will be dealtwith in detail in the description in influential buoyancy is caused tofloat porous of the operation of the apparatus. The propeller cinders soas toseparate them from the coal ag- 2| may include any desired numberof blades, gregate. although in the present instance, three have 25Additional objects, advantages and features of been illustrated andwhile the details of the proinvention will be apparent from thefollowing depeller structure forms the basis of a copending scriptionand accompanying drawings forming application filed May 29, 1934, SerialNumber a part of this application, wherein 728,155, a generaldescription of the construction Figure 1 is a plan view of the apparatusemwill be given. Briefly, the blades adjacent the 30 bodying theinvention. hub of the propeller are given an angular set as Figure 2 isa longitudinal sectional view at Zla: opposite that of the extremitiesof the thereof. blades as at Zlw, as clearly shown in Figure 8,

Figure 3 is a cross section on the line 3-3 of the purpose of which willbe apparent as the de- Figure 2. scription proceeds. 35

Figure 4 is a cross section on the line 4-4 of It should be noted thatthe tunnel l9 opens Figure 2. into a compartment I9a defined by one endand Figure 5 is a cross section on the line 5-5 of inclined bottom wallI91) of the tank and. a ver- Figure 2. tically disposed aperturedpartition wall 20d.

40 Figure 6 is a fragmentary side elevation of the The bottom wall I9?)is inclined so as to more 40 apparatus illustrating, particularly, thedrive for readily feed debris to the conveyorl5, as well as the pick-updrum. to permit free circulation of water through the Figure 7 is adetail sectional view of one of tank l0. However, means are provided forconthe propellers. trolling the passage of water and dbris from Figure7a is a detail sectional view of another the compartment by theprovision of a sliding 45 propeller employed in the apparatus. valve20!). The valve 201) includes a rack bar Figure 8 is a detailperspective view of one of 2| with which there is meshed a gear Zlasuitthe propeller blades. ably fixed to a shaft 22, the shaft 22 beingoper- In carrying out my invention I provide a main able exteriorly ofthe tank ID, by a crank 23a to tank in of a water-tight nature, open atits top suitably geared to the shaft 22, as indicated at and in its basethere are provided a pair of bins 23'. With the valve slidably mountedbefore H and I2, within each of which endless conveyors the aperture 24of the partition wall 20a, it will l4 and I5 respectively are mounted,as will be be apparent that the degree of opening ofthe explained ingreater detail hereinafter. aperture may be readily controlled withconse- Opening upon an upper portion of the tank It) quent control offlow therethrough.

Attention is now invited to Figure 7 of the drawings, wherein it will beseen that the propeller 2| comprises a hollow shell body 22, the hub 23of which oscillatably support feathering blades 24, and in order toimpart oscillatable movements to the blades, a shaft 25 is journalled,as at 26, in the shell 22. The shaft 25 includes a head 21 slottedtoreceive an arm 28 of each propeller 24.

An enlarged casing 29 is formed adapted for securement to the shell 22and houses a plurality of weighted members 30, the members 30 beingpivoted as at iii to the casing, the inner ends of the weight membersterminating in bill members 32 each of which is engageable in akerfformed in the shaft 25. A helical spring 33 is interposed betweenthe end of the shaft 25 and a thrust bearing 29 slidably supported bythecasing 23, exerting an endwise pressure upon the shaft tending to holdthe shaft against rearward movement.

The casing 29 has integrally formed therewith an extension 34 connectedto a drive shaft 35 by means of a universal joint 36.

From the description thus far described it will be understood that withrotation of the drive shaft 35 rotary motion will be imparted to thecasing 22, and since the propellers 24 are supported by the casing 22, asimilar motion will be transmitted thereto. 7

A housing 3? is provided for enclosing the casing 29 and affording arockable bearing 38 for the casing 22, the rear portion of the housinghaving a flange 39 for mounting upon a wall of the tank I0 It will beapparent that the casing 22 is rockably mounted between the bearing 38and the universal joint 36, so that the propeller hub 23 may beangularly adjusted to present the blades 24 at various degrees ofinclination, from the hori- 40 zontal axis of normal operation. Theadjustment of the casing 22 is controlled exteriorly of the tank H), aswill now be set forth. A block 42 is disposed upon the extension 34, theblock being of circular formation as seen in end elevation and 5 uponthe periphery thereof, a ring gear 4! is formed, and rearwardly of thering gear, the block has threads 42 in mesh with internally formedthreads of a supporting ring 43. The supporting ring 43 includes a pairof oppositely disposed projections or lugs adapted toengage withinrespective trackways 44 secured to the inner walls of the housing 3?,and also has an ear 45 with which a lever 46 is pivotally connected. Thelever 48 projects outwardly of the tank It? and is supportedintermediate its ends by a pin 41 engaged through a slot 48 extendinglongitudinally of the lever. It will be seen from the foregoing that theblock 43 and associated propeller may be shifted upwardly or downwardlyfrom a, horizontal plane,

by manipulation of the lever 46, the block 46 being guided by trackways44.

The initial setting of the propeller blades 24 is 7 effectedby'imparting a rotary motion to the block 40. which is carried out by agear 49 in mesh with the ring gear 4 I. A suitable bearing 53 is formedupon the supporting ring 43, and has journalled therein a shaft 5| towhich the gear 49 is keyed. The shaft 5| extends exteriorly of the tankill, as shown and terminates in a hand wheel 52. Obviously, rotation ofthe shaft 5! will rotate the block 40 and since the block is inscrew-threaded engagement with the ring 43 which is maintained againstlongitudinal movements, endwise movements will be transmitted to theshaft 25, through the medium of the thrust bearing 29 and the helicalspring 33. The drive for the propeller 2| is provided by the motor A,mounted upon a base B, the drive shaft C of which is journalled in abearing D. The shaft 35 is also journalled in the bearing D andterminates in a thrust bearing E. The motor drive shaft C has keyedthereto a gear F which is in mesh with a similar gear G keyed to theshaft 35.

Obviously, the foregoing construction permits various settings of thepropellers during operation, by merely rotating the block 40 through thehand Wheel 52 and shaft 5|, causing either a compression or permittingexpansion of the spring.

During compression of the spring an outward thrust would be imparted tothe shaft 25, and since the arm 28 is connected with the head 21 apartial rotation on the longitudinal axis of the propeller would-beeffected, and upon expansion of the spring a reverse movement would begiven the shaft 25 and propellers 24.

It will also be noted that automatic adjustment of the propellers is,permitted, which is effected through an increase or decrease of thespeed of the motor A. The change in the speed of the motor may be variedmanually or may be effected due to the varying density of the flowthrough the tunnel I9. An increase in the speed at which the shaft 35 isdriven will cause the weights 3 0 to be swung outwardly by centrifugalforce, developing a backward movement of the shaft 25, altering thesetting of the blades, while a lowering of the speed will produce aforward movement of the shaft 25, providing a different setting of theblades 24. Therefore, the blades 24 will be set automatically inaccordance with the speed of the shaft which will be commensurate withthe fluidity of the material flowing through the tunnel l9.

If desired, in order to prevent ingress of water into the housing 31,around the rockable bearing 38, a rubber boot is provided, fixed to thebearing 38, by a ring 381). The boot is of circular formation, entirelyencircling the bearing 38 and includes a sleeve portion 380 encirclingthe casing 26a of the bearing 26. A clamping band 38d secures the sleeveupon the casing 26a.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that water cannot enter thehousing 31, yet the flexibility of the sleeve 380 will permit freemovements of the rockable bearing 38.

Intermediate the length of the chute IS an opening 53 is formed,controlled by a slide valve 54. The valve 54 comprises a rack bar 55 anda gear 56 in mesh therewith, the latter being operable exteriorly of thetank by a shaft and hand lever 51, and the purpose of this opening is inorder that particles intermingled with the coal, which are of a buoyantnature, may seek egress therethrough and discharge into a semi-circularwell 58 thereadjacent. Within the well 58 a pickup drum 59 is revolublymounted within bearings (ill. The drum 59 includes a hub Bl, comprisinga plurality of circumferentially spaced bars 62 upon which there aresecured in'any approved manner, radially disposed perforated plates 63,extending the full length of the drum, the latter being slightly less inlength than the inside length of the well, so'that the drum will bereadily accommodated within the well.

Upon each plate, at the outer extremities thereof, angle plates 64 aresecured, positioned so that the angle plates will scoop up debris, as itleaves the opening 53 of the chute I6, and retain the same upon theplates 63 until the plates have reached a point directly above the chute65 positioned centrally of and extending outwardly from the hub SI, whenthe debris will discharge into the chute. The chute 65 may dischargeinto a suitable container, or if desired, any well known conveyor mayreceive the debris from the chute.

The wall 66 defining the bottom wall of the well 58 is preferablygrooved as at 61 to accommodate the angle bars 64 during rotation of thedrum. It will be noted that the wall 66 stops short of the adjacent endwall of the tank, and has hingedly connected thereto a swinging valveplate 68. The plate 68 spans the space between the end of the wall 66and the end wall of the tank, and adjustment for setting of the plate isaccomplished through a pair of cables 69 trained around pulleys I6 fixedto a shaft ll. The shaft 'II is operable by a hand crank I2 exteriorlyof the tank, and it will be obvious that the plate 68 may be set andheld at various positions to increase or decrease the flow of water orpassage of material into the drum 59.

The drive for the drum 59 will now be described and attention is invitedparticularly to Figs. 1, 2, and 6 of the drawings. The drum 59 has fixedto the ends thereof bevel gears I3 which mesh with respective gears IAof a pair of shafts I5. The shafts I5 are suitably journalled inbearings I6 and have fixed thereto sprocket wheels II. An electric motorI8 mounted upon a base I9 is pro- 50 vided, and includes a drive shaft86. The shaft 86 has keyed thereon a sprocket wheel 8I aligned with oneof the sprocket wheels 11 and around these two sprocket wheels there istrained a sprocket chain 92. Upon the base I9 there is 35 also mounted ashaft 83 arranged parallel with the shaft 66 and fixed to the shaftthere is a sprocket wheel'84 aligned with the other sprocket wheel 11, asprocket chain 85 being trained about these sprocket wheels. In order totransmit power 40 to the shafts 83 the shafts 86 and 63 have meshedgears 86 and 81 respectively. It will be seen from the foregoing that aneven and positive drive is therefore provided for the drum.

In order to prevent heavy particles from reach- 45 ing the propeller 2Ia guard plate 88 is pivotally mounted upon a shaft 89, one end of whichprojects through the side wall of the tank I6 and has geared thereto, asat 96, a hand lever 9 I. The guard plate 88 may thus be adjusted bymanipu- 50 lation of the crank to vary the setting of the plate and stoplugs 92-93 limit the degree of opening and closing movements of theplate. In the full open position of the plate, as shown in dotted lines,it will be seen that any particles 55 which have accumulated upon theplate 98 while in its closed or partially closed position will bedeposited upon the inclined bottom wall I9b of the tank I6 leading tothe bin I2, from whence they will be conducted to the conveyor I5 for 50removal, as will be presently described.

Immediately above the bin I2, a bin 95 is formed, within which aconveyor 96 is housed, the bin having communication at its upper sidewith the well I8, as indicated at 91. The conveyor 65 96 extends fromthe bin 95 to the outside of the tank I9 opposite that of the conveyorI5, as can be readily seen in Figures 1 and 4. The bin 95 has aninclined wall 96 extended upwardly at a slight angle to the lower wallof the chute I 'I and 70 also has an upper wall 99 which is in effect acontinuation of the wall 66 of the well 58. The

walls 98 and 99 are joined by an end wall I I16 through which the chuteIT projects.

Extending longitudinally of the tank I6 in the 75 medial plane thereof atunnel IEII is suitably mountecL'the underside of which is cut away, asat I 62, forming communication with a bin I63. It will be noted from aconsideration of Figure 2, that material discharging upwardly from thechute I? will fall downwardly into the bin I63 to I be removed by theconveyor I64, which extends to one side of the tank I6. The tunnel MI isof greater diameter than the chutes I6 and I1, so as to allow readypassage of water and air therearound, as will be more fully explained inthe description of the operation.

The bin II previously referred to is located directly below the bin I 63and receives sediment and small particles of debris which pass throughthe screened opening I65 of the bin I63. The sediment passing from theopening will fall or settle downwardly upon the conveyor I4, guided bythe inclined wall I66. The conveyor I4 extends to one side of the tankI6, opposite that of the conveyor I64.

Within the forward end of the tunnel I III I provide a featheringpropeller I6I, the blades I68 of which are adjustable to varyingsettings through rotation of the hollow shaft I09 by the hand wheel II6.The shaft I69 is threaded as at I69a cooperable with a threaded portionof a bearing III on the tank I6, and by bearing I I2 mounted Within thetunnel I6 I. Any suitable lubricating means may be provided and in thepresent instance, I have illustrated a grease cup II3 associated withthe bearing H2. A drive shaft II4 extends through the hollow shaft I69exteriorly of the tank, journalled as at H5, and terminates in a thrustbearing II6. It will be obvious that upon rotation of the shaft I69 bythe hand wheel II6, the shaft I69 will be moved longitudinally withrespectto the drive shaft II 4, by virtue of the threaded engagementbetween the bearing III and the shaft I69. As the propeller I61 isrotatably mounted by the shaft I69 and movable longitudinally therewith,the propeller blades I68 will be rotated due to their engagement withthe headed portion of the drive shaft II 4. A motor III suitablysupported by a base H8 is provided for imparting power to the shaft I Hiand includes a drive shaft US, the outer end of which is supported inthe journal H5. A gear I26 is keyed t0 the shaft H9, which is in meshwith a gear I2I keyed to the shaft H4.

From the foregoing, it will be clearly apparent that rotation of thepropeller I 61 may be effected upon starting of the motor I I1 and thatthe setting of the blades I68 may be accomplished while the propeller isin operation, thereby increasing or decreasing the effectiveness of thepropeller, as conditions demand.

A screen I22 may be installed in the tunnel I 6! in advance of thepropeller 567 to prevent the passage of debris into the tunnel and toalso diffuse the mixture of air and water as will be dealt withhereinafter.

A vertically disposed baffie wall I23 extends transversely of the tankI6 and is secured to the wall 99 at its upper end, the lower end beingdeflected as at I24 and stops short of the bottom wall of the bin I2,and to one side of the conveyor I5, so that material entering the bin I2will be shunted toward the conveyor I5, for removal from the bin.

A wall I25 is built into the bin II extending parallel with the wallI23, and stops short of the wall 98, and it should also be noted that aportion of the bottom wall of the bin I2 extends parallel with thedeflector wall I24, as indicated at I26. Thus, the walls I23, I and I26and deflector I24 define a passageway I21 for circulation of water inthe bins II and I2.

It has been found in practice that sometimes the bins II and I2 becomeclogged with sediment which is not removed by their respectiveconveyors, and provision is therefore made for removal of such sediment.Associated with the bin H I have illustrated a pair of superposedsliding shutters I28 and I29. These shutters I28-A26 are slidable intrackways I36-I3I respectively, built into the chute framing I32, andmay include any suitable means, such as the hand wheel I33 for slidingthe shutters backwardly and forwardly to control the passage of sedimentthrough the aperture I34 of the chute. In use, the shutters are normallyin closed position, and when it is desired to clear the bin II ofsediment, the uppermost shutter I28 is drawn outwardly so as to clearthe aperture I34. The sediment will then be free to fiow through theaperture I34 and will be deposited upon the shutter I29. The shutter I26is then closed and the shutter I29 is opened, when the sediment may flowthrough the funnel portion I35 of the chute into a suitable receptacleor otherwise.

A singleshutter I36 has been shown as associated with the bin I2, butobviously the superposed arrangement described in connection with thebin II may be employed, if desired.

With further reference to the chutes I6 and I1 these chutes are lined asindicated at I36 to avoid wear upon the chutes proper, due to passage ofmaterial therethrough. The chute I1 also includes a sliding valve doorI31 operable to open and close an aperture I38 formed in the lower sideof the chute. Any suitable means may be employed for operating the doorand in the present instance, I have illustrated the door as having arack bar I39 fixed to the back thereof and in mesh with the rack bar,there is a gear I46. The gear I46 is keyed to a shaft I4I extendingtransversely of the tank It and projecting through one side thereof, andcarries a ratchet gear I42. A pawl I43 is pivotally mounted upon thetank and operable to engage the ratchet gear to maintain the shaftagainst rotation. A hand lever M4 is also fixed to the shaft I4I,providing means for manually rotating the shaft I4I to vary the settingof the door I31.

The tank I0 may be supported upon any suitable base, but in the presentinstance, I have illustrated a base framing I45, upon which there areerected upright support members I46 of vary ing heights for support oftroughs I4'I-I48 Mil-I56 of the conveyors I4I5-93 and I64 respectively.The conveyor troughs I4'i-I56 may have any suitable inclination, for themost efficient operation of the conveyors.

The operation will be readily understood from a consideration of thefollowing description thereof. The tank It is filled with water to aheight indicated by the water-line W, and the motors A, I8 and III areset in motion. The

r water in the tank will be circulated therearound by virtue of thepropellers 2! and IE7, and since the tunnel ml is partially open totheatmosphere, the propeller I91 will draw air into the tunnel and there ismixed by the propeller ID? with the water in the tunnel. The mixing ofthe air and water will effect a final clearing of the coal emerging fromthe chute IT, as will be dealt with hereinafter.

Coal to be cleaned is fed into the chute I6 settling downwardly into thewater toward the This coal as it comes from the mine quantities ofcinders, wood chips and similar foreign matter of a fioatable character,and since the chute I6 is filled with water above the opening 53 formedtherein is partly submerged, the floating material will pass through theopening 53 into the well 58 where the material is then picked up by theplates 63 of the drum 59. The plates 63 will maintain the dbris thereonuntil they reach a point directly above the chute 65 where the materialwill slide from the plates into the chute 65, where it may be disposedof, as desired.

The'coalentering the chute I6 will also contain a considerable amount ofslate, which being heavier than the coal, a large part of the slate willfall through the port 91 into the bin 95 to be removed by the conveyor96. It should be noted that as the coal and slate pass from the chute I6to the Well I3, they encounter a cross spiral flow of water developed bythe propeller 2!, as indicated by the arrows in Figure 2. The blades 24of the propeller are given a set adjacent their ends opposite to thatnext the hub, so that the water in the chute I'I will be caused to flowin two distinct paths, namely the water adjacent the inside surfaces ofthe chute will be caused to flow outwardly toward the discharge end ll"of the chute, while the water centrally of the chute will be drawntoward the propeller ZI. Such a cross flow of water will cause a highagitation of the water or a push or pull" and roll action upon the coaland slate tendingto thoroughly separate the coal from slate into a moreor less buoyant aggregate, permitting the slate which may still be mixedwith the coal to pass through the opening I38 formed in the lower sideof the chute II. The slate passing through the latter opening will fallupon the inclined wall 98 and will be shunted to the conveyor bin 95where it will be removed by the conveyor 96.

The coal in the chute I I will be floated over the discharge end IIwhere it will encounter a mixture of air and water developed by thepropeller Hill. The mixture of air and water will tend to furthercleanse the coal of foreign matter, the latter being forced through thetunnel, around the chutes I6 and I1 and finally settling in the drum 59.

The finally cleaned coal settles upon the conveyor I94 to be removedfrom the tank. Obviously, considerable fine sediment will be mixed withthe water, and such sediment will follow circulation of water throughthe screen I05 whereafter the flow of water occupies a greater arealosing velocity in recirculation, allowing sediment to settle upon theconveyor I4, permitting its removal.

The circulation of the water in the tank II) will be substantially asfollows: through the tunnel I III into the well 58, the exit therefrombeing controlled by the settling of the valve door 68, through thechamber I9a, the tunnel I9; the chute I'i, passing therefrom into thewell I03 and thence into the bin II. The Water finally entering thechamber I9a by way of the passageway I2'I, the bin I2 and opening 24'for recirculation.

A certain amount of dbris will come to rest upon the door 68, and thismay be removed by allowing the door to swing to full open position bymanipulation of the hand crank I2 depositing the dbris upon the plate88. As has been previously indicated, the plate 88 is operable by virtueof the lever 9I to discharge the dbris upon the inclined floor l9b fromwhence it will pass to the conveyor l5 for removal.

After continuous operation of the apparatus for any considerable lengthof time, it is obvious 5 that the water in the tank will become quitedense from slush sediment forming a more solid body in water current,causing a greater buoyancy in spiral current of chute IT. The pushagitation against the, water must then be less, which is 10 causedautomatically by density of the water which is slowing up therevolutions of motor A controls the centrifugal action of the weightmembers 30, which automatically controls adjustment of the propellerblades 24.

15 The push agitation against the water is caused by part Zlw of theblades and the pull agitation of the water is effected by part 2| :1: ofthe blades and the whirl or roll agitation of the water is produced bythe centrifugal action of the revolv- 20 ing propeller, as an entirety.

During operation of the apparatus, in order to further insure floatingof cinders on the surface of the water, I distribute ground cork on thesurface of the water, forming a recirculating buoy- 25 ant net movingcontinuously with the current formed by the propeller I07. It should beunderstood that the cinders have previously passed through the well I8where they have been thoroughly cleaned of culm, by the spiral currentof water, leaving the pores or crevices of the cinders open, permittingthe entrance of particles of ground cork thereinto. Thus the buoyancy ofthe cinders is greatly increased.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that I have provided anapparatuswhich will effectively separate debris from coal in a highly eflicientmanner, requiring a minimum of labor, and while I have shown anddescribed a preferred embodi-' ment of the invention, I do not confinemyself to the exact construction shown, and reserve as my own, all suchmodifications as fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims,

I claim:- 1. In a coal and slate separating apparatus, a 45 tankcontaining water, a well submerged in the water, said well including afeed chute and a discharge chute, said discharge chute stopping slightlybelow the water level of the tank, propeller means for circulating amixture of air and 50 water across the mouth of the discharge chutewhereby to separate fioatable particles from the coal issuing from thechute, means for removing the floating particles, a bin formed beneaththe discharge chute, conveyor means within the bin 55 for removing coaldischarged into the bin, the well having a discharge opening in the basethereof, conveyor means therebeneath for removing material dischargedtherethrough, water inlet means formed in the well establishing communi-60 cation with the water in the tank, and means for creating asimultaneous oppositely flowing current of water through the well anddischarge chute.

2. In a coal and slate separating apparatus, a 65 tank containing water,a well submerged in the water, said well including a feed chute and adischarge chute, a revolving pick-up drum mounted within the tank inproximity to the feed chute, said feed chute having a port incommunication 0 with the drum; said discharge chute being submergedslightly below the water level of the tank, propeller means forcirculating a mixture of air and water across the mouth of the dischargechute whereby to separate the floatable particles from 7 the coalissuing from the chute and carry the same to the pick-up drum, a binformed beneath the discharge chute, conveyor means within the bin forremoving coal discharged into the bin, the well having a dischargeopening formed in the base thereof, conveyor means therebeneath forremoving material discharged therethrough, water inlet means formed inthe well establishing communication with the water in the tank, andpropeller means for creating a simultaneously oppositely flowing currentof water through the well and discharge chute;

3. In a coal and slate separating apparatus, a tank containing water, awell submerged in the water, said well including a feed chute and adischarge chute, a revolving pick-up drum mounted within the tank inproximity to the feed chute, a port formed in the feed chute incommunication with the drum; said discharge chute stopping slightlybelow the water level of the tank, propel-l ler means for circulating amixture of air and water across the mouth of the discharge chute wherebyto separate the floatable particles from the coal issuing from the chuteand carry the same to the pick-up drum, a bin formed beneath thedischarge chute, conveyor means within the bin for removing coaldischarged into the bin, the

well having a discharge opening in the base thereof, conveyor meanstherebeneath for removing material discharged therethrough, water inletmeans formed in the well establishing communication with the water inthe tank,'and automatic adjustable propeller means for creatingsimultaneously oppositely flowing currents of water through the well andchute.

4. In a coal and slate separating apparatus, a tank containing water, apair of bins formed in the base thereof, partition walls between thebins defining a passage-way therebetween for circulation of water fromone bin to the other, conveyors positioned within the bins for removingmaterial deposited within the bins, a well submergedin the water, saidwell including a feed chute and a discharge chute, a revolving pick-updrum mounted within the tank in proximity to the feed chute, aregulatable port in the feed chute in communication with the drum forpermitting passage of debris into the drum; said discharge chutestopping short slightly below the water level of the tank, adjustablepropeller means for circulating a mixture of air and water across themouth of the discharge chute whereby to separate the fioatable particlesfrom the coal issuing from the discharge chute and carry the same to thepick-up drum, a bin formed beneath the discharge chute, conveyor meanswithin the bin for removing coal discharged into the bin; the wellhaving a discharge opening in the base thereof, a bin formedtherebeneath, conveyor means within said bin, the bin having a wellextending substantially in the plane of the lower wall of the dischargechute defining a passageway communicating with the last named bin, aregulatable port in the discharge chute forming communication with thelast named passageway, water inlet means formed in the well establishingcommunication with the water in the tank, and automatic adjustablepropeller means for creating a simultaneously oppositely flowing currentof water through the well and discharge chute.

5. In a coal and slate separating apparatus, a tank containing water, apair of bins formed in the base thereof, partition walls between thebins defining a passage-way therebetween for circulation of water fromone bin to the other, conveyor means in the base of the bins forremoving sediment deposited therein, valve means in the bins below saidconveyors for withdrawing the fluid sediment in the bins not removed bysaid conveyors, a well within the tank and submerged in the water, saidwell including a feed chute and a discharge chute, the feed chuteopening upon the upper side of the tank, a tunnel extendedlongitudinally of the tank and partly submerged in the water therein,the mouth of the discharge chute opening into said tunnel and below thewater line in the tunnel, variable propulsion means in said tunnel inadvance of the mouth of the discharge chute for agitating and mixing airand water in the tunnel, a bin positioned beneath the mouth of thedischarge chute, a conveyor in the bin for removing coal from the bin,said bin having an overflow port in communication with one of the binsof the tank, a revoluble pick-up drum mounted within the tank andreceiving debris from the tunnel and the feed chute, a chute mountedwithin the drum and receiving the dbris picked up thereby, a compartmentformed adjacent one of the bins of the tank, means for controlling flowof water through the compartment and the bin, means controlling flow ofwater and debris from the drum and the compartment, a port between thewell and the compartment, automatic adjustable propeller meanspositioned at the port for creating a simultaneously oppositely flowingcurrent of water through the aggregate fed through the feed chute, andmeans in the base of the well to remove slate settled out of theaggregate, said propeller means further creating a circulation of waterthroughout the tank for deposition of material into the various bins.

LOUIS SVEINSSON.

